My goal for Ayla was to have her sleep until at least 5am, and she didn’t wake up until 5:30am, so once she was up I was ready to go. We decided since it was still dark out, and Safeway is open 24hours we would get our grocery shopping done first thing. By the time we left the store and got back to our condo the sun was just starting to come up. Since we started our day so early, we wanted to do another thing we have yet to do on Maui – go to Kaanapali Beach in West Maui. Everyone always says it’s THE beach on Maui, and with how many amazing beaches we’ve experienced we needed to check this one off the list.
First thing that must be noted is trying to find free public parking is a joke. While they have parking lots available, they are tucked back into other parking lots and typically only a few spots at best. This beach definitely isn’t very accessible to those that are not staying at a resort or wanting to pay at least $8 an hour. We had a local recommend going to Black Rock Sheraton Resort for valet parking or they validate parking with a purchase at their restaurant. We were lucky enough to find free public parking, but in the future, I could see going to the Sheraton as being a time-saving option.
Kaanapali beach was very expansive, and really not that many people, especially for how many resorts are ON the beach. The water was very calm while we were there, and stayed calm the whole time. This was amazing; it meant I could do swimming as much as I wanted. The biggest downside of this beach is the trade wind direction causes A LOT of blowing sand – more than I have ever experienced. This made it pretty unenjoyable at times. In South Maui, you want to get to the beaches early, so when the winds pick up, you can head out. However, in west Maui, it may be the opposite, as the day went on, we felt like the wind actually reduced. About half way into our beach day, Ayla said she was getting tired and wanted some quiet time, so we cuddled up on our beach chair while she took about a 30min rest. After nap, she was back in the water to float in the waves. That girl LOVES her water.
A huge positive of Kaanapli beach is that the Whalers Village is right behind it. This gives you lots of beach front dining options. We decided to grab an appetize and drinks at Leilani’s Beach Bar. This was very casual, the onion rings we ordered were very delightful and the drinks were delicious. We got the POG Slushy and fresh squeezed Mai Tai. Both drinks were very alcohol forward and delicious. Bonus – you get to keep the coconut cup from the POG Slushy. After our meal we decided to pack up and head back to our condo to get ready for dinner. On a side note, they did offer to validate parking, but I am not sure if you can park in Whalers Village and then go onto the beach. They do enforce their parking rules pretty strictly.
We wanted to keep our evening casual so we headed to Coconuts Fish Cafe. I got my usual, two fish tacos, ALWAYS a winner and a must try. AJ got the blackened ahi and said it was one of the best he has had. We stayed there until it was Aylas bedtime then headed back to the condo and we all went straight to bed!
I am glad we went to Kaanapali beach, but it was definitely just a box to check, South Maui takes the win for best beaches by far.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day of adventures, can’t wait to share more with you then!
